Method of casting metals



(No Model.)

J. A. POTTER. METHOD OF CASTING METALS.

No. 533,139. Patented Jan. 29, 1895.

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JOHN Por'rER, or MUNHALL, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF CASTING METALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,139,.dated January 29, 1895.. Application filed June 3, 1893. erlal No. 476,472. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. POTTER, of Munhall, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casting Metals, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figurel is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved apparatus, on the line II of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line II-II of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

My invention relates to the production of small castings, and more especially to the casting of steel into small ingots, in which great difficulty and expense have heretofore been incurred, since in top-pouring very imperfect ingots are produced, owing to pipes and dross forming in the upper portions of the castings, While in bottom-pouring there is great waste and loss on account of the arms forming in the branch gates between the pouring stand-pipe and the molds. In my former application, Serial No. 464,653, filed March 6, 1893, I have shown and described an invention for overcoming these difficulties by the use of a stand-pipe having channels leading to gates over which a series of molds are moved successively, each as it is filled being pushed along to make place for the next, there being one gate for each series of molds. My present invention is an improvement thereon, and it consists in a gate having an elongated opening which is slightly longer than the thickness of the two adjacent walls of the molds, so that before the metal has ceased flowing into the first mold, it begins flowing into the next, the series being pushed along as each mold is nearly filled.

In the drawings, 2 indicates a baseplate upon which is centrally mounted the standpipe or fountain 3. Two runners 4, 4, lead laterally from the bottom of the fountain and terminate in the elongated openings 5, 5. These outlets need be very slightly longer than the thickness of the two mold walls, not over one-quarter inch, though I show them more elongated in the drawings. On each side of these openings or gates 5, are secured strips or guides 6, and in line with the channels thus formed are pushers, each consisting of a hydraulic cylinder 8, having a piston 9 provided with a piston rod extending through each cylinder-head and having at one end a pusher-head 10, and at the other a stop 11. The molds, which are placed between the guides and abutting against each other, are open at the bottom and provided with the usual air vent at the top, the first mold being directly over the gate as in Fig. 1.

The fountain, runners, and gates are suitably lined with refractory material, and in casting the metal is poured from the ladle, shown in Fig. l,into the fountain, and thence passes continuously through the runners into the molds. As the first moldbecomes nearly filled, the series being moved forward by the pusher, the metal begins to flow into the second mold before it ceases flowing into the first, as the gate is of greater length than the thickness of the two abutting mold-walls, the flow of metal being uninterrupted. When each series has been moved forward one step, the pusher-head is retracted and another empty mold inserted between the series and the pusher, and hence the process may be continuous.

The advantages of this improvement are apparent, since there can be no chilling or freezing over the metal at the gate orifices, as

might occur where the gate is shut oif at intervals by the mold walls, and the metal descends uniformly and continuously in the fountain.

Modifications in the form and arrangement of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of my invention, since What I claim is- 1. The method of casting, consisting in moving a series of molds successively over acommon casting gate, thereby allowing the metal to flow into one mold before it ceases flowing into the preceding mold; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a series of molds,

of a common casting orifice which is longer than the thickness of two abutting moldand means for moving the molds sucwalls,

eessively thereover; substantially as de series over the outlets; substantially as described. scribed. I

3. The combination with the base, of a In testimony whereof I have hereunto set stand-pipe set thereon, runners leading from my hand.

5 the stand-pipe to outlets of greater length JOHN A. POTTER.

than the thicknessof two mold walls, guides Witnesses: Within which a series of molds may beplaced, H. M. OORWIN,

and means for intermittently moving said O. BYRNES. 

